Hidayatullah Badri, the Taliban’s Minister of Mines, has ordered the commencement of surveys and assessments for lithium and uranium mines in Helmand and Nimroz provinces during his recent visit.
The objective of these assessments is to evaluate the feasibility of mineral extraction.
However, mining experts have raised concerns over uranium extraction, warning of its serious environmental risks, particularly given Afghanistan’s lack of capacity for proper management and standard extraction procedures.
On Sunday, the Taliban’s Ministry of Mines announced that Badri had tasked the ministry’s engineering team with assessing lithium reserves in the Godzareh area of Chahar Burjak district in Nimroz. Additionally, he visited uranium deposits in the Khanashin and Dishu districts of Helmand, ordering evaluations of these sites.
Afghanistan’s Limited Technical Capacity for Uranium Extraction
Experts argue that the Taliban lacks the necessary expertise and infrastructure to manage mining operations effectively, warning that any attempt to extract uranium under current conditions could result in an environmental catastrophe. Even the Taliban’s Ministry of Mines has acknowledged its deficiencies, admitting a lack of technical knowledge, infrastructure, and expertise for proper extraction.
Dr. Mohammad Tanha, a nuclear technology researcher based in Germany, pointed out that past assessments of Afghanistan’s uranium and lithium reserves were conducted by Russian and American researchers, with comprehensive documentation available.
He noted that while lithium is in high global demand and Afghanistan possesses substantial reserves, the country’s uranium deposits are not significant enough to be commercially viable.
“In the global market, uranium production is dominated by just 20 countries, with 50 percent of the supply coming from only five nations. Afghanistan’s uranium reserves are unlikely to be economically competitive,” Tanha explained.
He stressed that uranium extraction is a highly complex process with severe environmental consequences. “The environmental damage could be catastrophic, contaminating the land for hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years, increasing the risk of cancer and other diseases,” he warned.
Tanha also criticised the Taliban’s opaque approach to mining, stating, “Expecting transparency from a government built on deception and plundering is utterly meaningless.”
Abdul Qadir Mutfi, a former spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines, suggested that the Taliban’s interest in mining is driven by financial desperation.
“The Taliban is facing a severe financial crisis and sees mining as a potential solution. Uranium, lithium, and other minerals are strategically valuable commodities on the global market, but the real issue is how these resources are being extracted and at what cost,” he stated.
Reflecting on the past two decades, Mutfi noted that extensive efforts had been made to map Afghanistan’s mineral wealth. However, he warned that under Taliban control, mining operations are being conducted recklessly, potentially triggering a severe environmental crisis.
“In the current situation, extracting Afghanistan’s mineral resources—whether aluminium or lithium—without a legal and national framework is pushing the country towards disaster. The negative consequences of this unregulated extraction are not yet fully apparent, but over time, they will become undeniable,” Mutfi cautioned.
Experts warn that if unregulated mining continues, Afghanistan’s environment and communities will suffer long-term and irreversible damage, making future remediation efforts increasingly difficult.
